Frequently Asked Questions

General

WebORB for PHP is freely available for non-OEM applications except for support and documentation. Please contact sales@themidnightcoders.com or call 888-MYWEBORB, option 1, to discuss your licensing, support and documentation needs.

How do I get started with WebORB?

Download the product from the WebORB for PHP product page. If you'd like to shorten your learning curve, consider augmenting your download by purchasing support or training.

What are the differences between WebORB for PHP and AMFPHP?

WebORB design is object-oriented and modular, thus it is easier to maintain and add features. Some key differentiating WebORB features which are not available in AMFPHP include:

Comprehensive management console

Service and method browser - you can inspect deployed classes and methods

Service test drive - lets you invoke any method in the deployed services directly from the console

Our goal is to make WebORB a completely transparent component of your application architecture. When a PHP class is accessed by a Flex or Flash client, it should appear as if it is a local invocation both from the client and server-side perspectives. To achieve the goal, we added a lot of interesting features into the product. Features like dynamic class loading, type resolution, client-to-server type adaptation and automatic serialization of complex types should make it very easy to use WebORB.

How is WebORB for PHP licensed?

WebORB for PHP is open source and is licensed under the Mozilla Public License.

Can I commit changes to the WebORB for PHP source code?

Currently only authorized project administrators can commit new code, however, we hope to use the collective power of the community to enhance the product and make it better. If you have any ideas for new features of improvements, please post them to the discussion forum or contact us directly.

Management console is available through index.php located in the root of the product distribution. If you installed WebORB under the /weborb context path in your web server, the console would be available at localhost/weborb/index.php

Development

WebORB can locate and load any class deployed in the /Services folder. Future releases of WebORB will enable special processing for the deployed classes. For instance, automatic update of the configuration files, generation of security descriptors and dynamic client side code generation.

Locate the directory where Flex Builder places the compiled client application. It is very important to place a copy of weborb.php into the same directory. weborb.php must contain the following PHP code:

<?php

require_once("../Weborb/ORBHttpHandler.php");

$m_ORBHttpHandler = new ORBHttpHandler();

$m_ORBHttpHandler->processRequest();

?>

The first line must be edited to point to the Weborb directory from the product distribution. For example, look at weborb.php located in the /Console folder.

Where can I configure WebORB logging?

Logging can be configured either in the Management Console under Management > Server Configuration or directly in the configuration file (/Weborb/weborb-config.xml)

Where does WebORB store the log file?

WebORB stores log files under the /logs directory located at the same level as the Examples directory.

How can I configure client/server class mappings?

Client/server class mappings are configured in /Weborb/weborb-config.xml. You can use either the management console (Management > Server Configuration > Class mappings) or add an entry using the following format to the <classMappings> section of the file:

<classMapping>

<clientClass>client-side-class-name</clientClass>

<serverClass>sevrer-side-class-name</serverClass>

</classMapping>

When a client sends an object of a type listed in the <clientClass> element, WebORB will instantiate the corresponding server-side class. Similarly, when server script returns an instance of a complex type that has a client-side mapping, WebORB will serialize it as that client class.

How can I get started with Silverlight?

Download this tutorial www.themidnightcoders.com/weborb/php/silverlight_and_php.shtmas it will walk you through the process of creating a Silverlight client and connecting it with a PHP class exposed via WebORB. The guide also demonstrates how to run a query in PHP and bind the results to a Data Grid component in Silverlight.

Deployment

How can I deploy my PHP application so Flex clients can consume its objects and services?

Deployment of a PHP application is as simple as copying the class files into a WebORB-enabled PHP web application . WebORB does not require any additional configuration changes and once copied over, you can start accessing your PHP classes from a Flex client.

I'm ready to deploy into production, what are my options?

To ensure you are deploying with the most reliable, scalable and secure edition, we recommend you deploy with commercial support. Please contact sales at 888-MYWEBORB, option 1 or sales@themidnightcoders.com if you would like to discuss your options.

Am I allowed to distribute WebORB with my application?

WebORB for PHP includes open source components that are licensed under the Mozilla Public License. However, the provision for "Larger Works" allows us to add additional licensing. Please Contact Us if you are unsure if your distribution would require an OEM/ISV license.